


Ianto of the Stars

by WizStreetColfer



Series: Stars and Sea [1]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Alien Planet, Alternate Universe, Ianto Jones & Toshiko Sato Friendship, Ianto Jones-Centric, Kharaa Bacterium (Subnautica), M/M, Subnautica AU, Torchwood - Freeform, janto
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:40:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26307214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WizStreetColfer/pseuds/WizStreetColfer
Summary: After crash landing on planet 4546B, Toshiko and Ianto find themselves fighting for survival. Their hearts set on finding a way home, they don't expect to meet Jack Harkness or have to dive to the deepest depths of the alien ocean.
Relationships: Jack Harkness & Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones
Series: Stars and Sea [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1911442
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	1. Prologue

It had been three days.

Toshiko and Ianto had no luck finding any other survivors. 

Broken escape pods. PDA recordings of the crash. Wreckage from the ship... but nothing else. The spacecraft had been en route Andromeda, leaving the Milky Way galaxy for making its way to a solar system much less populated by humans. A stepping stone to further the stretch of the human race in the known universe. This exploration had only been undertaken once before, and now Ianto and Tosh were part of the Torchwood initiative. Part of an organisation that could spread across the stars and possibly find the people that had left the milky way galaxy five years previously. Though what Torchwood was unaware of was that the initial attempt had been unsuccessful, and unfortunately for Ianto and Toshiko: so had the second. 

"The indigenous plant life seems to be in the early onset stages," Toshiko said, "it's nothing like I've seen before but I would guess the whole planet is water. At least 90%.”

"Just once I hope your hypothesis is incorrect," Ianto said, following her into the bottom of their escape pod. The escape pod had become their little safe haven in this strange planet wide aquarium. The two of them took a moment to breathe. Both exhausted from the underwater cave exploration they had just undertaken. There was not much room on the escape pod itself.

Two chairs, a storage container with rations inside. A medkit, a small worktop, and a radio. Ianto immediately started to fiddle with the dial on the radio, hoping (more than anything) to make contact with somebody. Anybody. They had initially picked up a couple of distress calls, but by the time they had got to the pods, they were either faced with an empty pod or a pod full of the remains of what could have possibly been their friends. The last three days had been awful. While the ocean was beautiful, and the creatures they had come across so far were incredible, the two of them wanted nothing more than to just be back home. 

"Do you think it's worth swimming back to The Hub?” Tosh asked, grabbing a bottle of clean water from the storage container before taking off her scuba mask and taking a sip from the bottle. They had successfully made a makeshift water filter which meant her and Ianto were able to make clean - drinkable - water and even obtain the salt deposits left behind. The water filter was made from some of the giant coral tubes nearby. The same coral surrounding the caves which Ianto and Toshiko had just come back from exploring. 

“There must be something left, and maybe others have headed back there too.” Toshiko continued.

Ianto had his eyes closed. His head tilted back against the headrest as he contemplated what their next actions could be. Three days stranded and no nearer to figuring out how to get home. If they ever could… Ianto felt a little at fault. He was a little reluctant to venture out. Swimming, especially in the ocean, had never been his forte. Tosh had been the one to suggest going down into the caves and look further afield for other survivors. Ianto (while knowing they couldn’t stay put forever) felt much safer in the escape pod. Now she was suggesting going back to the Torchwood ship aka The Hub. Ianto knew it was the right thing to do, but the thought alone terrified him. He hated to recognise it, even if it was a certainty. 

The HUB310, one of the greatest spacecrafts' Torchwood had ever made, (and now crash-landed on an alien water planet) could be seen in the distance from the escape pods location. Its position held at a 30-degree angle from where it had hit the terrain with such an impact that the earth around it had formed sand walls to keep it slightly upright and poking out of the water; much like a sinking ship back home. Ianto and Tosh guessed that The Hub was approximately 900 metres away from them.

“I agree but…” Ianto sighed thinking about the ocean life that could live in the surrounding waters, “what else could be out there?” 

Luckily for them, their pod seemed to land in a safe-ish zone. The two of them had only been there for three days, (three sunsets - god knows how much time was actually passing [and there were two suns!]). Ianto and Tosh seemed to think the fish they had come to have as neighbours all seemed pretty ‘Finding Nemo-ish’. As though they belonged here without threat. The only predator Ianto and Tosh had come across (so far) was a crocodile looking creature that seemed to live within the area Ianto had nicknamed Creepvines - _“Because it’s a creepy vine area and we should never ever go there ever again!”_ Tosh had laughed at that, but respectful of his wishes, the next day (today) they explored the caves for food and resources instead of the overgrown seaweed forests - aka _“Creepvines.”_

The crocodile-like creatures within the Creepvines had been aggressive and had stalked them back towards the safe waters they called home. The Shallows. Luckily it had been distracted by a nearby fish and decided to take after its usual prey. 

Ianto wondered what else they could possibly encounter if they decided to head towards the ship. Tosh had already speculated that the drive core, still registering as active but corrupted on their PDA’s, would eventually go into meltdown if they didn’t intervene. It was up to them to stop whatever adverse effects on the planet's life an explosion from a ship like The HUB310 would cause. 

“I know it's scary Ianto,” Toshiko said, “I’m scared too but…” She glanced around the small compartment and sighed fiddling with the edge of her seat, “if we can’t get home… we have to at least make sure the ship isn’t going to wipe out whatever life forms are near it.”

“I’m pretty sure they’ve already been wiped out - or more rather taken out - by the big ass crash..."

Tosh smacked his knee in disapproval but a small smirk on her lips, “you know what I mean! Don’t wind me up.” 

“Okay, okay,” Ianto held his hands up in feigned surrender, “I’m just toying with you. Get it? Toying? Wind up?”

Tosh shook her head, ignoring him. Used to bad jokes being one of her friends coping mechanisms when he’s nervous. “What if original settlers are there?” Her expression turned more serious, thinking about the other humans who had supposedly come to this planet previously. Where were they???

“And just because these creatures scare you…” Tosh continued to say but Ianto interrupted. 

“I know, I know…” Ianto sighed, “it doesn’t mean they deserve to be wiped out by an explosion, or radiation or whatever… and I don’t think that. I’m just…scared.” 

Tosh set her hand on his knee, smiling warmly. The two of them had been best friends for years, and if any duo could get through this… they could.

"Me too." Tosh said, " but I know we can do this Ianto. We'll pull through, we always do."

She smiled sympathetically. Though they always had each other's backs, Ianto still felt silly about being so frightened. He was jealous Tosh was able to hide her fear so well. She was the bravest person he had ever met.

They prepared their gear, luckily all life pods came equipped with dive bags including waterproof gear: torches, handheld scanners, and of course basic scuba gear. 

“Right then,” Tosh said slinging the bag over the oxygen tank on her back before clipping it around her waist, “ready to go?” 

“Yep.” Ianto turned, giving her a small smile before putting on his scuba mask. They could only communicate via sign language once underwater. Everybody who was a part of Torchwood’s exploration team had to learn the basic scuba diving hand signals; in case of an emergency. An emergency like this one.

Ianto and Tosh, for the next - however long it took for them to reach dry land - would be communicating with hand gestures such as; “ok” “not ok” “problem” “problem on the surface” “up” “down” “slow down” “stop” “look” “go in [this] direction” “come here” “low on air” “out of air” “I’m cold” and “write it down”

Tosh and Ianto had also decided beforehand to make use of the scanner equipment, the AI in the PDA was highly sophisticated and designed to analyse components of anything scanned. From plant life, fish, rocks, small structures. It has proven itself beneficial so far.

They both exited from the pods bottom hatch and immediately looked around them. Though the journey they were about to embark on may be scary, the area their pod had landed in truly was beautiful. Shallow waters with fish about the size of their palms. All different shades of colour mixing together and swimming around in absolute harmony. Ray-like creatures practically flapping their pectoral fins as they glide through the water, and dolphin-looking catfish resting after every brief movement as they make their way along the sandy ground. The biggest creature in this area had a flat face, swollen belly, and a bright green rotund tail that let off a green gas every so often.

_“I’ve put it into the PDA as the farter.”_

_“IANTO!”_

  
  


When it had appeared behind Ianto the day before, Tosh had moved quickly to grab her friend and start dragging him back to the escape pod. After realising they weren't being followed, they turned to see it sucking at the ground almost like a hoover. Deliberately going around the catfish and moving to an area of seaweed. While twice the size of both Ianto and Tosh, it seemed the creature was a herbivore. Even the carnivorous crocodile-like amphibian in the Creepvine area was smaller; not by much.

It would be simpler if Tosh and Ianto could just stick to the safety of the Shallows. However, even if they were not embarking on this endeavour, they would run out of resources eventually. The Shallows may be surrounded by caves with lots of material now, but sooner or later it would dissipate. Which in turn, would then force them to move on to deeper waters. At least this way they were getting a look at what was out there first. 

They made their way towards the Creepvines, they couldn’t currently see any of the crocodiles but that didn’t mean they weren’t hiding in amongst the seaweed. They swam into the giant weeds and went a little deeper. This area was about 20 metres deeper than the Shallows. 

They weaved in and out of the greenery, sticking close together and heading in the direction of the ship. The Shallows now 65 foot above them as they reached the ground of the kelp biomes. They were surrounded by the same types of fish, and they could see a couple of crocodiles play fighting a few feet above them as they swam just above the ocean floor. Part of their plan to hopefully remain undetected. Though they had no idea how long the Creepvines went on for or if they would still be going in and out of Creepvines by the time they reached the ship.

Ianto had discovered a compass in the storage locker back at the pod. The pair of them had been overjoyed when they learned it was also waterproof. So once they worked out the vessel was North East, they kept following the little dial pointing to NE rather than keep swimming up to the surface to check they were still going the right direction. 

The creepy vines were lit up by bright orange seeds dangling from the leafy growth, It was similar to party streamers and birthday balloons. If they weren’t on the lunch menu themselves or on limited oxygen, they probably would’ve stopped to enjoy the view. The beautiful orange glowing amongst the leafy green of the submerged nature. Drowned beauty. It was the perfect place to get yourself lost. Hence why Ianto and Tosh made sure they could see each other at all times. Ianto imagined it was also why it was the home of the reptilian carnivore whose slick body could twist and dart amongst the stalks and then hide easily.

They successfully avoided the threat and found the vines becoming fewer and the water becoming cleaner again. Flickers of blue could be seen at the end of the underwater forest and the two of them swam towards it both anxious and excited. 


	2. Salvation

They were met with a 40 metre drop.

If they had been walking they would’ve been screwed. The vines had obscured the ground around the underwater cliff edge. Now the two of them were hovering in open water where red grass coated the sandy dunes 40 metres below them. 

They swam downwards. 

The biomes here were almost like a meadow; a blood red meadow at the bottom of the ocean. Littered with the occasional rock and metal salvage from The Hub310, it was a vast open space full of small fish and shipwreck(s). It was both a sight to behold and heartbreakingly sad.

A soft effulgent glow seemed to encompass the landscape below them. Fish seemingly swimming to an unheard rhythm in sync with the harmony surrounding them. It was as though Tosh and Ianto had discovered the eternal record of the deep. Regrettably however, the pair of them couldn’t fight the tears brimming at the surface. Masked only by their own scuba gear, the two of them (unbeknownst to the other), swallowed their emotions to keep the tears at bay. The Torchwood emblem could be seen laying on the planet’s floor, part of the wreckage that had been stripped off the ship as it tore through the atmosphere and crashed into the ocean. 

They looked at one another for silent reassurance, checking if the other was okay but also trying to ground themselves. A moment of solemn before continuing with the mission at hand. A flicker of light distracted them. At first they thought it was merely a reflection of something hitting the metal wreckage, but then it happened again. Quick as lightning and small. It looked as though a ball of pure light had zoomed past them. It darted in and out of hiding, almost as though it were inspecting them before disappearing again. 

Tosh looked at Ianto wide eyed, lifting her index finger to the back of her ear to signify “problem.” 

Ianto nodded in agreement, looking around for what they had just seen. He got closer to Tosh and put his back to her, just like they had been taught as part of their Torchwood training. Then the two of them interlocked one of their arms and slowly spun 360 degrees. The source of their confused expressions had disappeared without a trace. Ianto looked all around them, the fish were unperturbed by the mysterious object. 

Tosh then pulled on Ianto’s arms and signified “look,” and pointed into the direction of a small sphere moving towards them. It was about the size of their hands and as soon as Ianto swam towards it - it backed away. 

Ianto and Tosh stayed put. Watching as the silver ball whizzed around in the circle in front of them, it’s movement created a spiral of light. An effect caused by the small blue light emitting from above what Tosh and Ianto had now identified as a lens. It seemed to be some sort of camera drone. It also had three small fins attached to it, clearly made for use in water; Ianto presumed. After it’s fast paced movements it got slightly closer to the two of them before pulling back. Tosh swam slightly closer, causing the drone to swim back again. It stopped about a metre away, as though waiting for them. 

What did the presence of this drone mean? It must have been made by somebody? Other humans? Other survivors from Torchwood perhaps? Or the humans currently on the planet? Or the indigenous species? Aliens..? Thoughts ran a mile a minute in Ianto’s brain, his thoughts trying to process everything in a logical manner but struggling under the stress he was facing. 

“Follow me,” Tosh signed, before moving to swim after the drone. The camera’s movements were a lot slower now, but it still remained a couple of meters ahead of them. 

Ianto wondered if what he and Tosh were doing was the best option; following some random camera robot they had come across in the middle of an alien ocean. Their mission to the ship was important, but on the other hand so was finding other survivors. The camera could mean answers to their questions, safety, better food, LAND! All of the things Toshiko and Ianto currently wanted. They followed the drone as though it were a beacon of hope. Yes they were curious, but they also wished this was salvation. Something better. Ianto ignored the nit-picking thought in his brain about it being a trap, or something as equally damning. Fuelled by faith alone, the two of them headed to a location unknown. 

The camera moved across the equally grassy and sandy landscape with the two divers in-tow. They were still moving the direction of the ship, (though not as direct) and Ianto started to ponder the idea that the camera was from the HUB310 itself. Maybe others had gone back to the ship too? Or maybe the drones were part of the security systems, neither himself or Tosh had worked security so they weren’t to know. As far as they were aware, all of the security was automated. Robots were designated to look after the ship while the people slept. Security, maintenance, etcetera. This was definitely not the wake up call up call the Torchwood Initiative had been expecting. 

Ianto wondered if people back home in the Milky Way knew they had crashed. Would the ship have sent a distress signal? Or were the people of their native galaxy under the assumption that everything was okay? Had this happened with the first ship to leave for Andromeda? Or had The HUB310 just been unlucky. 

The thoughts continued to rattle around in his brain, trying to make sense of everything as best he could. They eventually started to see less blood grass and more rocks. There were many natural arches and other rock formations. Ianto lifted his PDA and took a photo of their surroundings. It wasn’t like he would do anything with the photographs except look back at them, but he couldn’t resist the urge to capture a beautiful moment when he saw it. He liked to think if he and Tosh did get out of this alive, they could sit and look through the photographs with a little more relief. Maybe one day he would show the photos to his wife or husband, or even perhaps to his children. Ianto shoved those thoughts aside as they watched the robot stop up ahead. . The rocks seemed to be the outline of another drop. Ianto wondered how deep this robot wanted to go, and if it was worth continuing to be led somewhere unknown. They swam over the edge and began their descent. In the distance they could see trees with circular dish shaped plants, which upon approach started to look more and more like… mushrooms. The sort of cartoon-y mushroom someone would see in a game of Mario. The whole biome was made up of mushroom trees. Humongous mushroom trees, at least 30 metres high. Ianto looked at his compass, and luckily they were still on track to the ship. It wasn’t far at all. The ground and tree bark were covered in all different kinds of flower, luminescent and as though the 90’s had come to decorate under the sea. 

Ianto and Toshiko were then joined by some light blue jelly-like stingrays, angelically gliding and using their eight tentacles like fins. At first the two humans began to panic, but as soon as the small horde moved alongside them similarly to a dolphin to a boat and moved ahead, they realised that these creatures must be docile. 

After rounding the biggest tree of them all, Ianto and Tosh found themselves gaping at something they hadn’t expected to find here at all. A building! Some kind of facility under the ocean. Maybe these were the humans who came before? Or maybe it was aliens? Though the building seemed human-y. Ianto had never been so excited to see a door. Relieved to just get out of the water for a while. 

The drone led them around the building towards a hatch. Ianto couldn’t help but peer inside one of the windows to see what was inside. Chairs, plants, a vending machine?! Ianto mentally rejoiced. Their luck was turning! As they approached the hatch they saw a man on the other side. He wore an old 20th century looking jacket, and had his hands in the pockets. Ianto and Tosh couldn’t help but feel a tad nervous. What was this place? Who was this guy?

When they arrived he put his thumb up, a gesture recognised as ‘good.’ Ianto and Tosh did the same, which caused the other man to grin wildly. Ianto mentally told himself he didn’t have to be nervous of someone who smiled so cheesily and watched as the man held up his index finger. Mouthing slowly: ‘one sec.’ Ianto and Tosh nodded, watching as the stranger turned and walked through the narrow corridor and stepped into the adjoining room. He shut the bulkhead door behind him and a few seconds later the hatch popped open. The two of them stepped inside what appeared to be the man’s home. They hadn’t seen any other people in the windows but it didn’t mean he was on his own. 

They shut the hatch behind them and stood as the water around them drained. Ianto didn’t know how the science of it worked exactly but it always amazed him how quickly the water turned to nothing. As soon as it was safe the bulkhead doors opened and the man stood at the other end looking rather confident. He flashed them a smile as the two of them removed their masks. 

“So YOU’RE responsible for the bigass boom!” 

“I-” Tosh almost forgot how to speak. What was this guy talking about? She tried again, “I’m...sorry?”

“The spaceship that crashed? I assume that’s where you’ve come from?” 

“We’re Torchwood.” Ianto said.

“Torchwood aye?” The man sighed crossing his arms, “haven’t heard that name in a while.” 

“You know of us?” Toshiko asked, though her and Ianto were both thinking the same thing; the original Torchwood crew from The HUB300.

  
“You could say that,” he said glancing between the two of them, “let’s get you out of that gear so we can talk more. Is it… just the two of you?” 

“Just the two of us.” Tosh said. 

“I see,” the stranger almost looked sad, “no other survivors then? You’ve not come across anyone else?” 

“Just pods,” Tosh said following him through the door with Ianto on her tail. 

The man seemed to hum at that as they walked them through a room with boxes and a makeshift workshop in the corner. “I’ve found a couple of your pods...I’m sorry I don’t have better news.” 

“That’s...fine…” Ianto wasn’t sure what else to say, but luckily he didn’t have to say much as they came to another room; a hallway. 

“Bathrooms on the first right, bedrooms are on the first right, and the two doors on the left. Feel free to use whatever clothes you find, I hope there's something you’ll be comfortable in.” It was rather straightforward, but Ianto presumed the man wanted to get on with whatever conversation they were inevitably going to end up having. 

“Thanks...uh…” he said.

“Jack.” 

“Thanks Jack,” Ianto said, opening the bathroom door and inspecting it before stepping inside. 

Toshiko looked at Jack, taking the tank of her back and running her hands through her hair. Glad to be somewhere dry that wasn’t the pod. “Thank you...Jack. I hope you don’t mind me asking but- were you aboard The Hub300?”

Jack nodded, “Andromeda bound for the sake of humanity's future!” It was almost sarcastic, but Tosh knew it wasn’t aimed at her. From what she could figure out something had gone terribly wrong the first time too. She wondered how many survivors were also here if there were three bedrooms, though it made her slightly hopeful there were more survivors from The HUB310.

“I’ll let you get changed.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm currently looking for beta's to read through this work before I post the remaining chapters. Please let me know if you're interested! Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment down below and let me know what you think! :)


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